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Deep integration is needed to generate economic growth in South Asia. By integrating trade in goods and services and transport facilities, South Asian countries will be able to better participate in global trade.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) organized a Meeting on the SAARC Statistical Organization (SAARC Stat) Web Portal in Kathmandu, Nepal on 29-30 June 2015 which facilitated a discussion between officials from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics and former consultants of the SAARC Stat Web Portal concerning its timely and effective management. The SAARC Stat Web Portal aims to provide up-to-date and accurate statistical data and indica

A month after India pledged another Line of Credit to Bangladesh, the Economic Relations Division, Ministry of Finance of the Government of Bangladesh prepared 11 development project proposals on various sectors including transport, education, information technology, and energy. The total cost of the proposed projects is estimated at $2.71 billion.

The Better Business Council High-Level Workshop on Improving National Competitiveness was held in Thimphu, Bhutan on 23 March 2015, providing a platform for Bhutan to learn from the experience of the Republic of Georgia and the Republic of Korea (ROK) how to improve their national business climate and international trade.

Representatives of the eight South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation member countries, including ministers and strategic experts, gathered on 5-7 November 2014 for the 7th South Asia Economic Summit to discuss an economic roadmap for greater integration of the South Asia region.

The Asian Development Outlook, ADB’s flagship economic publication provides comprehensive macroeconomic analysis in Asia including growth projections by country and region. The Asian Development Outlook 2014 forecasts that developing Asia will grow 6.2% in 2014 and 6.4% in 2015.

The question on whether India is an open or a closed economy depends on whether “openness”, according to Arvind Subramanian of the Peterson Institute for International Economics, is measured by trade policy or by actual trade outcomes. While India’s trade policy barriers were high prior to 1991, they have declined significantly to almost 10 percent today and have almost converged with tariffs in the rest of the world.